


Romantic Inefficiency

by Eavenne



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Awkward Romance, Awkward Tension, Awkwardness, M/M, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 04:16:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14072706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eavenne/pseuds/Eavenne
Summary: Ludwig and Basch are incredibly efficient at pretty much everything they do.With the exception of romance, that is.





	Romantic Inefficiency

**Author's Note:**

> So, GerSwiss is one of my favourite rarepairs, and I had a lot of fun writing this! Any reference to Presidents has nothing to do with any IRL Presidents, it's just a general reference. Enjoy!
> 
> Germany = Ludwig  
> N. Italy = Feliciano  
> Austria = Roderich  
> Prussia = Gilbert  
> France = Francis  
> Spain = Antonio  
> Switzerland = Basch  
> Liechtenstein = Erika

If there was one thing Ludwig had to say about his social life, it was that he had no shortage of friends.

When life got him down, Feliciano was there to cheer him up. Roderich came to his house, accompanied Gilbert’s flute on his piano, and chatted amicably with them – for the most part, anyway. Then there were Gilbert’s drinking buddies, Francis and Antonio, who were rather…interesting people. 

But being with Basch was like floating in a warm, calm, boundless ocean. 

They’d first met through their mutual friend Roderich before realising that they were in the same college and took the same minor. A few run-ins led to drinks at cafes, which became planned lunches that evolved into studying together and, well, “hanging out”. 

As neither of them was fond of small talk, those initial meetings involved very little conversation. It was a comfortable silence – Basch’s presence would assert itself through little movements in the corner of Ludwig’s eye – and a kind of peace would settle deep in his body, relaxing his tensed muscles in muted happiness.

When they did talk, Ludwig found that the other man could keep up with whatever he said, and understand his train of thought without needing repetition. Speaking to Basch was unlike chatting with his other friends – nothing more or less needed to be said – when he spoke, Basch listened, and Ludwig gladly reciprocated the attention as well. 

It probably helped that they agreed on so many things: on the importance of working hard, of being independent, of being organised and efficient and capable of defending oneself. With Basch there was no playing catch-up, no bored apathy in response to his concerns. Even on the rare occasion that they disagreed, Basch argued his points so thoroughly and logically that Ludwig came to understand his point of view. 

As it was rare that someone his age really bothered to meet him on an intellectual level, Ludwig truly appreciated talking to Basch.

Yes – it was addictive, and he wanted more. As time passed, Ludwig watched as Basch slowly lowered his guard around him and started offering more personal information. It was a mutual sharing, and they spoke of their family, ambitions and interests. This led to them agreeing to jog together each morning, at which point Ludwig belatedly realised that he’d gained a new friend. 

It was nice. Being with Basch was nice. Jogging with him, eating with him, studying with him – it was all very, very nice. Perhaps he didn’t know how to describe it, but Ludwig was certain that he wouldn’t give it up for anything. At times, the warmth of his company would melt into an easy, comforting silence; at other times, it would heighten into hot-blooded competition. Yet Basch always remained friendly in his own serious, harsh-gentle way, and Ludwig would respond with his own brand of awkward encouragement. 

Days passed. Even when they weren’t together, Ludwig found that Basch was ever-present in his mind, lurking behind stray thoughts and revealing himself even when Ludwig was with someone else. At times he’d look out, see the sky grow cloudy and wonder if Basch was outside, or he’d be listening to Roderich play the piano and wonder if he often played for Basch as well. It was an annoying possibility. Not that he knew why it was annoying, but Ludwig had to stop himself from asking about the details of Basch’s relationship with Roderich – and not just once, either.

It was a relief to discover that the musician had a girlfriend, which Ludwig found out when his friends all decided to go to Paris. According to Roderich, it was “a small miracle” that Basch had even agreed to go with them, because he never really seemed to enjoy such group activities. 

“I suspect he’s only willing because you were the one who asked,” said Roderich, idly flipping the pages of a travel brochure. 

Ludwig reddened. “What?”

The other man glanced at him, and sighed. “Never mind. I’m sure you two will figure it out eventually.”

As it turned out, they did not figure anything out during the trip. Rather, Ludwig and Basch gained the respect of everyone involved as they singlehandedly planned the entire affair, from plane tickets to hotel reservations to an itinerary of places to visit and when to do so. 

Unfortunately, they were also the only two people without a date, and hence much of their time was spent trying not to watch everyone else do romantic things on Paris bridges and the like. Sometimes Ludwig’s gaze would linger on Basch, travel from his strikingly beautiful eyes to his sharp features and calloused hands, and stay there, lost in the moment. If he noticed Ludwig staring (which he often did), Basch would flush a little, return the eye contact for a few moments, and then look away. Then Ludwig would blush too and turn his head and they’d stand there awkwardly, at a loss for words.

Honestly, the entire trip turned out to be an exercise in not knowing what to do. Oftentimes the easy conversation between him and Basch would return and Ludwig would calm down once more, but then suddenly something passionate would bubble up in him, driving him to act on his feelings, whatever those were. Or they’d be walking side by side and their hands would brush, and as much as Ludwig longed to take Basch’s hand, he didn't dare to reach for it. 

God, it was torture.

On the one instance that Ludwig drew attention to their miserable situation as the only singles in a group full of couples, Basch merely sighed in response.

“My sister’s dating too,” he said, leaning against the railing and staring distantly at the water beneath the bridge. 

“You don’t like the person she’s with?” Ludwig asked, shifting a little closer to him. If Basch noticed, he wasn’t bothered by their proximity.

“No, he’s a nice boy, even if I can’t remember much about him.” Basch narrowed his eyes. “It’s just that…well, I’m happy for her, but I feel like I hardly see her anymore.”

Ludwig nodded. “It’s the same here. Ever since Gilbert started going out with Feliciano, I haven’t seen either of them as much as I used to.”

A long glance was all it took for Basch to express his sympathy, which Ludwig gladly accepted. 

It took no time for the familiar, companionable silence to fall over them, but it was quickly disrupted by a sudden laugh to Ludwig’s side. When he looked over, he was surprised to see Basch smiling, his gaze lost in some fond memory. 

That was the first time he’d seen Basch smile, and Ludwig would do anything to glimpse that expression on his friend’s face again.

Basch turned to him. “I just remembered something funny,” he said, his voice light and amused. “Listen: when she first started dating, I made sure my sister knew that if her boyfriend ever tried to take advantage of her she should call the police, but that I’d also be willing to beat him up.”

“What a responsible older brother,” said Ludwig, tilting his head and leaning on the railing as well.

“And she told me that she already knew.” Basch’s voice warmed affectionately. “She also said she’d protect me as well.”

“That’s very sweet of her,” said Ludwig, impressed.

“Specifically, Erika said that she’d ‘protect her brother’s heart from anyone seeking to hurt, break, or do anything vaguely threatening to it’,” said Basch, his features softened by a small smile. 

Though he chuckled in response, Ludwig reflected that whoever dated Basch would have to be extremely careful – not just for his sake, but also to avoid his sister’s wrath. 

Yet it was hard to ignore the small voice in his head that whispered, “I wish I could be the one.”

And so their Paris trip ended, but the feelings it had intensified wouldn’t seem to die, which was both wonderful and horrifying at the same time.

It seemed that Gilbert agreed with Ludwig on that. “You two are somehow simultaneously the most and least efficient people I know,” he said upon their return. “Like, sure, you can plan out an entire one-week trip in two hours, but then you proceed to spend the entire holiday literally choking on your sexual tension.”

After yelling at his brother, Ludwig sat down, opened Google, and typed, “What does it mean when you think someone is wonderful and amazing and you feel warm and happy when you look at them and you can’t stop looking at them and you want to touch them but you’re scared to do so because it would be weird and it might ruin your relationship?” 

Oh. 

Now he couldn’t deny the fact that he was in love.

xxx

Despite becoming unable to continue pretending that his feelings were merely platonic, Ludwig proceeded to spend six whole months trying to ignore them.

After all, what would happen if he made a move, but Basch didn’t return his feelings? It was a huge risk, and if confessing meant Ludwig wouldn’t be able to see his friend any longer, there was no way that he’d do so. 

Besides, Ludwig could never be certain if Basch was in love with him as well (though Gilbert and Roderich seemed convinced that he was). Sure, he was warmer to Ludwig than to others, but that didn’t have to mean anything. Maybe he did stare at him when he thought Ludwig wasn’t looking, but then it might be because he was wondering why Ludwig was acting so strangely. 

That said, when Gilbert told him one day that he would “take a loudspeaker, stand outside Basch’s house, and make a public service announcement on behalf of a certain lovesick Ludwig Beilschmidt”, Ludwig finally realised how ridiculous the entire situation was.

Setting his feelings of uncertainty aside, how likely was it that Basch returned his feelings? To that end, Ludwig consulted Google once more, scrolling through lists of signs of attraction – not only did he realise just how hard he’d clearly fallen for Basch, it seemed that his friend had displayed similar non-verbal cues that had sailed over Ludwig’s head. 

Assuming Basch was interested, the only issue remaining was the risk they’d be taking by moving their relationship another step forward. What if they broke up? Could they still return to being friends?

Yet when Ludwig decided to bring one of his dogs, Berlitz, jogging with him and it instantly took to Basch, he decided that he simply had to give it a try. After all, if his pets approved of the guy he was in love with, there was honestly no excuse not to pursue him. 

xxx

“I can’t believe the President’s stupidity,” said Basch, his voice edged with a bite of irritation. “Starting a trade war would be terrible for everyone in the long run. I’m amazed by how short-sighted his policy is.” 

They were sitting opposite each other in a booth at a restaurant, waiting for their dinner to arrive – if everything went as planned, that day would mark the occasion of Ludwig finally asking Basch out. 

He frowned. While he usually didn’t have a problem with it, discussing politics wasn’t exactly the best way to set the mood.

“I agree,” he said. “On an unrelated note, uh…” Scrambling for a conversation topic, Ludwig glanced around the room desperately, saw the numerous happy couples, and said the first thing that came into his head.

“Have you ever been in a relationship?”

Oh god. Even politics was better than that question.

When Ludwig dared to meet Basch’s eyes, he found that his friend was blushing and staring awkwardly at some undefined point behind his head. 

Basch shifted in his seat. “…No,” he admitted, glancing at Ludwig as though he were trying to gauge his reaction. Then all of a sudden his eyes widened and he looked up.

“Why?” Basch asked, his voice halting. “Are you dating?” As he talked, Basch drew his arms to his body, and his shoulders grew rigid with tension.

“No,” Ludwig said quickly, trying to reassure his friend. “However, I…do hope to.” 

The moment the words left his mouth, he saw the look in Basch’s eyes and instantly regretted his vagueness.

“Well,” said Basch, turning away and blinking hard, “I – I wish you the best with your – ”

“No!” Ludwig exclaimed, leaning forward and almost reaching for Basch’s hand – at the last moment he decided against it, and rested his arm on the table instead. 

God, he was messing everything up.

Eyes dangerously bright, Basch watched Ludwig in confusion, waiting for him to explain himself. 

“You see, the person I want to date is…” he began, hoping that Basch would catch on, but the other man only tightened his grip on his folded arms, so Ludwig decided to spell it out.

“There’s this guy I met in January last year, whom I…really like. He’s a hard worker, he’s intelligent and efficient, he likes making chocolate and gardening and going to the gun range. I love talking to him. I love spending time with him. If I could, I’d spend every day with him. Did you know that? And there are so many more things that I want to show him, that I want to discuss with him, that I want to share with him. Because he matters to me, and I want to make him happy. And I think you know who he is.”

They gazed at each other, and Ludwig saw Basch’s arms tremble and slip from their rigid position. 

“His name is Basch Zwingli. And I’d love to walk by his side, if he’ll let me.” 

Suddenly there were tears in Basch’s eyes, but even as Ludwig started to panic the other man turned and wiped them away. 

“Sorry,” said Basch, his voice a little wobbly. “Don’t worry. I’m fine.” Even though his eyes were slightly red, Ludwig could see the shadow of a smile on his face. 

It was a beautiful expression.

They sat there in silence for some time before Basch sighed, and turned to Ludwig once more.

“You should’ve told me sooner,” said Basch, his voice soft. “We could’ve done this last year, Ludwig.”

“That’s unfair. You didn’t take the initiative either,” said Ludwig, and a short laugh burst from his throat. 

Their eyes met, and in an instant everything blurred around him. There was nothing in the world worth watching besides those eyes – Basch’s eyes, which saw his love, accepted it, and gently reflected those feelings. 

As he swam in the warm, soothing depths of Basch’s blown pupils, Ludwig’s heart fluttered in his chest. 

How was he supposed to look away?

“I love you,” he said, and was surprised by how easily the words spilled from his mouth. 

Something moved in the corner of his eye, and soon Basch’s warm hand had curled into his. Ludwig felt the comforting brush of Basch’s fingers on his palm, and wondered why it had taken them so long to take each other’s hands.

Then Basch tilted his head, and a small smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

“I love you too,” he murmured.


End file.
